Options Trading Hours to Expand for Select Stocks
Investors will soon be able to trade select options outside standard hours, increasing flexibility to respond to market news.
Updated on Oct. 15, 2026 in Stock Markets
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Starting October 19, 2026, Cboe Global Markets will offer expanded trading hours for options on 24 select stocks and five ETFs. This change allows investors to execute trades outside of standard hours, providing more flexibility to react to early-morning or late-afternoon market movements.
Why it matters
The extension aims to help traders mitigate jump risks by allowing them to respond to market-moving events as they occur in real time. By opening trading sessions earlier and closing them later, the exchange provides a mechanism to smooth out price volatility for highly liquid securities.
To be eligible for extended hours, securities must meet a minimum $50 billion market value and 10 million shares of average daily volume. Last quarter, daily options trading in pre-market sessions averaged 228,097 contracts.
The players
Cboe Global Markets
A major exchange operator that provides options and volatility-related investment products to investors.
TradeStation
A brokerage firm providing retail investors with tools and access to multi-asset electronic trading.
Robinhood Markets
A financial services platform that offers commission-free trading for stocks, options, and ETFs to retail users.
The details
Under the new structure, trading will occur from 7:30 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. ET and 4:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. ET. Eligible stocks are those maintaining a six-month average daily volume of at least 150,000 contracts. Platforms such as TradeStation and Robinhood Markets will facilitate these sessions, which will be updated on a semi-annual basis to reflect changing liquidity levels.
Timeline
October 19, 2026: Extended trading hours begin for eligible options.
November 9, 2026: Cboe lists additional morning expiries for options.
Money Landscape
This development follows the SEC approval of extended options trading hours in May 2026. It marks a significant departure from traditional exchange hours, moving toward a framework that facilitates near-continuous trading for high-volume securities.
Investors who use options to hedge portfolios may soon have more liquidity to react to early-morning news before the standard market open. Consult with a financial professional to discuss how potential volatility during these extended hours could impact your specific risk management strategy.
The takeaway
Extended hours offer a new window to manage market positions, but they also expose traders to liquidity and price fluctuations outside the primary session. Monitor the specific list of eligible securities and consider how your broker handles orders during these early-morning windows.
What happens next
Cboe is scheduled to list additional morning expiries for options on November 9, 2026.
Further reading
For more background on market structure, visit Stock Markets.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CNBC.
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